My freshman year of New Milford High School, I had an algebra teacher who ruined the subject for me all together. He was an extremely analytical man, believing
that there was one way and one solution for everything, just like math. He was probably the worst teacher for me to have my first year of high school, considering I
was already not a lover of math and the sciences. Upon the first few weeks of class, I felt unprepared. My basic skills were not as strong as my peers, and I felt less
than every time I went to my last period math class. I began to stay after school, asking said teacher if he would mind reviewing whatever we learned in class, just
so that we could make sure whatever he had gone over still made sense to me. After failing to understand a concept the first time around, I would ask him to try to
explain it another way, or use another example. Immediately after my question, he responded with a remark I will probably remember for the rest of my life. "If you
can't understand it this way, you must be stupid. Everyone else in class understands this concept, but you. You're not cut our for math apparently." That is the first
time in my life an adult made me feel worthless, and extremely stupid.
I truly believed I was not intelligent after that, that I was not worthy of an education because I couldn't understand a basic concept. Needless to say, I gave up hope on
mathematics after that first algebra course my freshman year. It wasn't until my junior year that I met Ms. Peterson, the teacher that would restore my curiosity for
math and regain confidence in my ability. She taught me that just because I didn't understand something one way, didn't mean that I couldn't understand it another.
She was able to reverse whatever malignant thoughts I had about math, and turn it into curiosity, just in time for my SAT's and ACT's my junior year. Staying after
class with her gave me the confidence that I now have to overcome difficult tasks. I would love to go back and thank her for the skill she taught me, to fight through the
difficult times in order to do well. I am still not a lover of math, but I do not have the same awful feelings about it either.
that there was one way and one solution for everything, just like math. He was probably the worst teacher for me to have my first year of high school, considering I
was already not a lover of math and the sciences. Upon the first few weeks of class, I felt unprepared. My basic skills were not as strong as my peers, and I felt less
than every time I went to my last period math class. I began to stay after school, asking said teacher if he would mind reviewing whatever we learned in class, just
so that we could make sure whatever he had gone over still made sense to me. After failing to understand a concept the first time around, I would ask him to try to
explain it another way, or use another example. Immediately after my question, he responded with a remark I will probably remember for the rest of my life. "If you
can't understand it this way, you must be stupid. Everyone else in class understands this concept, but you. You're not cut our for math apparently." That is the first
time in my life an adult made me feel worthless, and extremely stupid.
I truly believed I was not intelligent after that, that I was not worthy of an education because I couldn't understand a basic concept. Needless to say, I gave up hope on
mathematics after that first algebra course my freshman year. It wasn't until my junior year that I met Ms. Peterson, the teacher that would restore my curiosity for
math and regain confidence in my ability. She taught me that just because I didn't understand something one way, didn't mean that I couldn't understand it another.
She was able to reverse whatever malignant thoughts I had about math, and turn it into curiosity, just in time for my SAT's and ACT's my junior year. Staying after
class with her gave me the confidence that I now have to overcome difficult tasks. I would love to go back and thank her for the skill she taught me, to fight through the
difficult times in order to do well. I am still not a lover of math, but I do not have the same awful feelings about it either.